Refractory product



Feb. 10, 1953 w, us ETAL 2,628,088

REFRACTORY PRODUCT Filed May 22 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 LESLIE WFQQ EW lHN D. ISA/10$ Feb. 10, 1953 w. AUSTIN EIAL 2,628,083

REFRACTORY PRODUCT Filed May 22, 1950 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 INVENTORS LESLIEW. AUSTIN the hearth.

Patented Feb. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

REFRACTORY PRODUCT Application May 22, 1950, Serial No. 183,465 8Claims. (crass-46) This invention relates to ports for metallurgicalfurnaces and more particularly to ports employed in metallurgicalfurnaces of the type generally referred to as soaking pits.

Soaking pits are employed for heating ferrous metal ingots and the like.They are usually comprised of a large box-like enclosure and can befired in a'variety of ways the most common being bottom and side firing.

In the former or bottom method of firing the pit is heated by means of aburner port located in a central portion of the hearth, through whichthe flame is introduced. Ingots to be heated are charged on the hearthsurrounding the burner port and are there soaked or heatedthrough,

preparatory to their being rolled into plates or .inthe several sidewalls of thepit and the exhaust gases are permitted to escape through anexhaust port positioned in a centralportion of A very important featureof this port which isv located in the central portion of thehearth, beit either in theform of an exhaust port for a side fired furnace or aburner port for a bottom fired furnace,;is the fact that it projectsupwardly somewhat above thelevel of the hearth and is thereby subjectedto the intense heat of the furnace which causes spalling and otherfailremoved by a crane or other similar hoisting device they are proneto swing about considerably and often strike against this portsubjecting it to considerable physical abuse. H

In. the past, because of its prior construction which has been usuallyin the form of a masonry ring, the port has been subject to earlydeterioration and destruction due to its many joints and the bumpingofthe ingots. Thejoints make the structure less compact, more subject ,tothe spread of slag through to-the fiues below and lessresistant tospelling and whenthis structure becomes loose it is easilyv broken by aslight bump from an ingot.

Finally because of the early deterioration in the prior types ofportsthey had to be replaced .or repaired several times during thelife-f the remainder of the furnace lining. Replacement or repair ofthis hearth port is a costly opera tiondue, principally, to the factthatitnecessistates coolingwr shuttingidowni of the furnace,

they must be allowed to set and dry, after which they must be cured bythe gradual application of heat. All of these steps necessitate aprolonged shut down period during which the furnace is inoperative.

To overcome these disadvantages it has heretofore been proposed to makea complete hearth port ring of a heavy cast steel or cast iron spiderover which a plastic chrome material was rammed into place. This ringovercame thedisadvantage of workmen having to spend longer periods inbuilding up a brick ring. It also eliminated the joints but had thedisadvantage of utilizing two different materials, one of which has atendency to shrinkand the other to expand. The metal spider not onlytended to expand due to heat, but also derived expansion and growth dueto oxidation together with scaling and a large volume increase. Sincethe plastic chrome was placed directly on this metal,

expansion would cause cracks to open up in the plastic channel whichwould allow more oxidation and would hasten the destruction ofthe ringor rosette. Accordingly, this type of rosette has not proved entirelysatisfactory.

It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide a ringor rosette for soaking pits or the like which will be an improvementover those used in the past which had inherent assembled outside thefurnace and then hoisted into position within the furnace, so that aminimum amount of timewill be lost in substituting a new ring for onewhich has become defective,

and with the result that the overall lengthof time during which asoaking pit is inoperative will be reduced.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rosette for a soakingpit hearth or the like which is adapted, to withstand considerablephysical abuse and has high resistance to bumping by the ingots.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rosette for soakingpits which consists of a separate prefabricated, unitary structure foruse with either a burner or exhaust opening and which may be entirelyconstructed outside the soaking pit at any time prior to the necessityfor repairs and thereafter placed in operating position within the pit.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a rosette for asoaking pit hearth or the like wherein the refractory bricks comprisingthe ring or rosette are interlocked with one another so that theirjoints are compactly and effectively sealed to obviate the risk of slagspreading there through to the flues below.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rosette for a soakingpit or the like having a high resistance to spalling.

These and other objects are achieved by providing a rosette for the portopenings of soaking pit hearths comprised of a plurality of refractoryrings mounted one upon the other, at least one of said rings beingcomprised of a plurality of refractory segments which have tongue andgroove portions whereby the individual segments of the said ring can bejoined together, each of said segments having upstanding portions whichengage groove portions in the ring mounted directly above the saidsegments,

each ring being further provided with vertical shafts which are inalignment with those of the ring mounted immediately therebelow and ametal annulus mounted in an annular groove in the underside portion ofthe lowermost refractory ring to which the lower extremities of tie rodsthrust through said aligned vertical shafts may be threadedly connectedin such a manner that when the upper extremities of the tie rods havebeen aflixed to a yoke, the said rosette may be hoisted into positionwithin said soaking pit.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from aconsideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a central, vertical section of a metallurgical furnace orsoaking pit wherein a burner port is located in the hearth and itfurther illustrates the general construction thereof and the applicationthereto of the rosette embodied in the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the partially dismantled rosette shownin Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a modified form of the rosette, shownin Figure 1;

Figure 4 is another sectional View of the rosette shown in Figure 1 towhich a yoke has been attached for the purpose of transporting the sameinto position within the soaking pit;

Figure 5 is a sectional view of another modified form of the rosette;

Figure 6 is a sectional view of the rosette shown in Figure 3.

With further reference to the drawings and particularly Figure 1. ametallurgical furnace or soaking pit is shown as comprising a hearth IDsurrounded by a vertical wall H and adapted to be closed at its top by aremovable cover not --0f gas or other fuel entering through a. pipe Mwhich is directed upwardly and. centrally of the burner opening. Arefractory rosette or ring l5 embraces the port opening and projectsupwardly into the soaking pit to the most advantageous height. Aplurality of ingots [6 are located about the port and its associatedrosette.

This rosette combines with the burner opening to produce the desiredshape in the port opening for inducing the proper flow of gas and airinto the furnace and obtaining efhcient admixture and combustionthereof.

It is evident therefore that this member or rosette must be soconstructed that it will be able to withstand intense heat and thesevere physical abuse resulting from charging the furnace with theingots.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention this rosette is comprisedof two refractory rings H and I3, one of which is superposed upon theother. Each of these rings in turn may be comprised of a plurality ofp-remolded, interfitting, arcuate, refractory segments 20, having tongueand groove ends or sections 2| and 22, respectively, whereby theaforesaid refractory segments in each individual ring may be securelyjoined together to form a single compact ring.

The refractory segments of the bottom ring 8? are also provided with anupstanding portion 3 located in substantially the central portion of thetop surface of each segment, which serves as a tongue engaging thehollowed out or grooved portions 24 on the underside of each refractorysegment which make up the upper ring or rosette 18, thereby providingmeans for locking the upper ring 18 to the lower ring [1.

By utilizing the aforesaid tongue and groove joints for the ends of therefractory segments in each ring, as well as between the ringsthemselves all the various elements of the rosette are securely lockedtogether to form a single compact and unitary whole.

In order that provision may be made for hoisting this unit into the pita metal annulus 25. may be positioned within an annular groove formed bythe hollowed out portions 21 on the underside of each refractory brickof the lower ring [1, which hollowed out portions are in opencommunication with one another when the segments of this ring areassembled together.

By providing vertical shafts 28, in the upper ring [8 which are inopencommunication with similar shafts 29 in the lower ring Il, means areprovided, whereby tie rods 30 may be thrust therethrough andthre-aded'ly secured at their lower extremities to the annulus 25. Ayoke unit 3| may then be fastened to the upper extremities of the tierods for hoisting the entire ring into the soaking pit.

Once the rosette has been moved into position in the port opening I2 thetie rods 30 may be unscrewed from steel annulus 25, and then liftedcompletely out of the rosette by means of the yoke. If this is done theonly metal remaining in the rosette then is the metal annulus 25. Sincethis ring is relatively small in comparison with the rosette as a wholeand, since it is mounted within the lower ring I! in such a way that ithas suflicient room for expansion, any expansion or oxidation thereofwill cause little or no pressure upon the refractory ring 11.

In the event facilities are not available for assembling the rosette asa unit outside the soaking pit, the various refractorysegments havingpreformed tongue and groove portions may be individually lowered intothe soaking pit, where they can "be simply-joined together: to form arosette by masons working in the pits. Since preformed tongue and roovesegments are used the working time of the masons in the pit willobviously be reduced.

As shown in Figures 3, and 6, the lower refractory ring I! may beprovided with an upper set back portion 40 along thatpart of its outerperiphery which projects above the hearth In. The purpose of this is toreduce the outer circumference of that part of the rosette whichprojects above the hearth, thereby providing more room withinthe'soaking pit for the ingots so that their danger of strikingtherosette is lessened. .The upper ring I8 is accordingly'also constructedwith a smaller outer periphery to coincide with the reduced periphery ofring l1.

The'inner peripheries of rings l1 and I8, however, remain constant sothat the inner contour of the rosette asa wholewill be uniform and themost favorable for evenly distributing the flame from the burner portinto the soaking pit.

Since that portion of the rosette which projects above the level of thehearth is the part of the rosette, which is most subject todeterioration and destruction by contact with the ingots, it may bereinforced by a metal ring 4| as shown in Figure 5. When such areinforcing metal ring is used in conjunction with the upper refractoryring l8, ring I8 is made in the form of a single, non-sectionalizedrefractory piece with the reinforcing ring cast therein.

Another advantage of utilizing a reinforcing metal ring in the upperrefractory ring l8 lies in the fact that when the upper portion or upperring of the rosette present within the soaking pit has become damaged itwill be a simple matter to replace it without moving or destroying thestill good and useful lowermost refractory ring IT. This is broughtabout by the fact that tie rods 45 can be either Welded or threadedlyfastened to ring 4| and a yoke unit affixed to the tie rods 45 forhoisting the new ring IB into position over ring H. In this way acompletely new upper unit or ring can then be quickly lowered into thesoaking pit to replace the damaged or destroyed upper ring.Alternatively, metal ring 4|, and also tie rods 45 when the latter arewelded on, are wrapped or coated with a material which is combustible orvolatile when heated under the conditions of use, such as cloth, paper,tar, wax, etc. The removal or destruction of the wrapping or coatingmaterial in use has the advantageous effect of providing a free spacewhich will perm-it oxidation or expansion of the metal ring, and rods,in use without causing disruption of the refractory piece. Metal ring 4|can also be constructed as a ring broken, or open, at one place wherebythe ends can expand toward or past each other.

Ring l8 with its reinforcing metal ring or band 4| also has an annulardepression on its underside, which serves a a groove into which tongues23 on refractory ring I! fit. As in the case of tie rods 30 once the newring l8 has been lowered into place the tie rods 45 may then be removed.

The rosette of the instant invention has been described only withreference to a soaking pit which is bottom fired. However, it is obviousthat it could be also utilized in a soaking pit which is side firedsince in the latter case there would be no change in the structure ofthe rosette. The only change would be that the burner port shown inFigure 1 would serve as an exhaust opening and further openings would beprovided in the ertieai va-11 lower ring by tongue and groove jointsnotin alignment with the jointsin the upper ringor by utilizing asectionalized lower'ring' andfa solid upper ring or vice versa, through'joints'in'the rosette are eliminated together with the; risk of havingslag seep thereth'rough to"the"flues below. 1

Furthermore by utilizing tongue1 andg'roove joints as the means forstrengthening and solidifying the rosette instead-of other means 'theproper inner contour of the rosette can' be maintained for spreading theflame and for obtaining maximum radiation to the ingots, when t is usedas a burner port. Other arrangements of tongue and* groove joints may beused as Well as those described and shown in the drawings and it is alsowithin the contemplation of the invention to construct the rosette inthe form of a single ring made up of a plurality of refractory segmentsunited together by means of tongue and groove joints.

In the claims the word ring includes not only refractory layers made inthe form of a circle, but also those which may be made in the form of arectangle, square, triangle, etc.

Various changes and modifications may be made in the invention withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope thereof and accordingly it is not tobe limited except by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The improvement in rosettes for the port opening of a soaking pithearth comprising the combination of a plurality of refractory rings,placed one upon the other, each of said rings being comprised of aplurality of refractory segments, each one of which has tongue andgroove portions, whereby the individual segments and the rings formed bysaid segments can be joined together as a removable unit, certain ofsaid segments in one ring being further provided with vertical shafts,which are in alignment with similar shafts located in the ringimmediately therebelow, and a metal annulus mounted in an annular groovein the underside portion of the lowermost refractory ring to which thelower extremities of tie rods thrust through said aligned verticalshafts may be threadedly connected in such a manner that when the upperextremities of the tie rods have been aiiixed to a yoke, the saidrosette may be hoisted into position within said soaking pit.

2. The improvement in rosettes for soaking pit hearths comprising thecombination of a plurality of refractory rings mounted one upon theother, the lowermost ring being comprised of a plurality of refractorysegments which have tongue and groove portions whereby the individualsegments of said ring can be joined together, said segments also havingupstanding portions engaging roove portions in the refractory ringmounted directly above the said segments, a reinforcing metal ringlocated within said uppermost refractory ring, each refractory ringbeing further provided with vertical shafts which are in alignment withthose of the ring mounted immediately therebelow and a metal annulusmounted in an annular groove in the underside portion of the lowermostrefractory ring to which the lower extremities of tie rods thrustthrough said aligned vertical shafts may be threadedly connected in sucha manner that when the upper extremities of said tie rods have beenaffixed to a yoke, the said rosette may be hoisted into position withinsaid soaking pit.

3. The improvement in rosettes for soaking pit hearths comprising thecombination of a plurality .01?v refractory rings mounted one upon theother,

. ring located within the uppermost refractory ring,

means for affixing said metal ring in said uppermost refractory ring toa hoisting unit, and means for affixing the entire plurality ofrefractory rings comprising said rosette to a second hoisting unit, saidmetal ring and said means for affixing said metal ring to a hoistingunit being coated with a material removable by heat.

LESLIE W. AUSTIN. JOHN D. ISAACS.

REFERENCES CITED I'he followlng references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 86,796 Absterdam Feb. 9, 1869898,348 Fieldhouse Sept. 8, 1908 1,068,259 Mesick July 22, 19131,406,746 McCullough Feb. 14, 1922 1,417,959 Walther May 30, 19221,696,876 Bacon Dec. 25, 1928 1,832,873 Milner Nov..24, 1931 1,843,175Sears Feb. 2, 1932 1,873,549 Cofiey Aug. 23, 1932 2,124,888 Morton et alJuly 26, 1938 2,297,696 Elder et a1 Oct. 6, 1942

